~ Igniting the power and passion in others…

We’re all going to be seniors one day

The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer’s Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show is centered on a family in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II.

It seems when we don’t know what to do with a specific demographic of people, as in the case of the elderly, we tend to group them together in one place and pay professionals to take care of them in that place.

God bless these professionals!

They do great work.

But is there evidence to build a case for supporting seniors with professional caregivers, family and neighbours within their existing communities?

And if seniors continue to have a purpose within their families and neighbourhoods, do they, and the rest of the community for that matter, have a better quality of life?

Sure, we have pretty busy lives these days.

It’s not like it used to be 100, or even 50 years ago.

You know, like on The Waltons where Grandma and Grandpa lived with the family and contributed to the raising of the children and the work required to the run the household.

I was very intrigued with this concept and also shared the article on my own Facebook page with the following comment:

I worry that when we stick a bunch of seniors into care facilities and isolate them from the rest of society, they can lose what gives them joy in life, thereby seriously hampering their quality of life.

There is a town in Japan that boasts the largest number of folks over 100 years old. The community of all ages remains integrated and grandparents and great grandparents are involved in the lives of future generations.

I believe that the young and the old have much to offer each other. What can we do, and how can we support more initiatives like this?

I am reminded of a documentary I saw not too long ago about Okinawa, Japan having the highest proportion of people 100+ years old at 34.85 per 100,000 people.

These vibrant folks still enjoy farming and remain fully integrated in their families and communities!

Their lives are filled with purpose and meaningful connections.

They work. They laugh. They socialize. They seem so…young at heart!

Check out this video I found on YouTube!

In Canada alone, the number of seniors aged 65 and over increased 14.1% between 2006 and 2011 to nearly 5 million.

By 2063, the share of seniors in the population will climb to about 25 per cent from 15 per cent currently, with much of that shift taking place over the next 15 years as the baby boomers age.

Meantime, the number of seniors over the age of 80 will jump to nearly five million compared with 1.4 million last year, with the number of centenarians soaring ninefold to 62,000.

It is in all our best interest, to figure out a better way to deal with aging populations.

One that gives our seniors purpose and keeps them integrated, healthy and contributing in our society.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

We’re all going to be seniors one day.

I don’t know about you but I’d like to have this figured out before I’m a senior!

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49 thoughts on “We’re all going to be seniors one day”

Ah Diana! Thank you!!! She does have a beautiful face. And diet, honesty and beautiful hearts do play in to our healthy living. I think our communities do as well. I have long ago subscribed to the believe that we need to return to our smaller communities, our families and neighbors relying on one another. Not that we have to cut ourselves off from the world. But we have to return to that mentality. Taking care of one another and interacting with one another. Thank you for sharing this with me. 🙂

I’m already there (a senior), Diana, and still working … just as my Mom did before she passed at the age of 79. There are some who are 55 and older who choose to live in a neighborhood without any younger generations to share their space. That’s not how I would choose to live. I like having a mixed-age group neighborhood. It makes life much more interesting and fun.

I should add that my 85 yr. father is dying from cancer. He is in the last stage…. For the past 5 years (which was when we knew of his cancer), his quality of life was quite high but with chemo last month for the lst time, it really weakened him.
My mother is not so great, but she looks after him. I have siblings in Toronto who take turns..

They live in 3 level home in mid-Toronto…I spent 15 min. well over 15 years ago questioning why they bought a house with several levels. And now, they have to move their bed onto the main floor (living rm.) so they don’t have to walk up stairs to bedroom..

Anyway, not sure I want to live until 100 (!) like some of those incredible Okinawan seniors in the videoclip. Wow. But one thing that is inspiring re my father…is the importance of having healthy diet for decades so that will reduce multiple medical complications near the end of life. To reduce one’s own physical suffering by reasonable self-care for decades. He had no respiratory, cardiovascular nor weight problems prior to cancer.

If you could be mobile and fit, why not live to 100? Life is wonderful! Did you see the video I included where the one lady says I don’t have a beautiful face but I have a beautiful heart…so sweet.
Diana xo

Great video Diana. I want to believe that @ 100, one does not experience much physical problems that limit mobility and living independently in a safe way.

Just recently, I was deeply shocked when a good friend over 78 yrs. told me she may want to end her life…because she will not have enough money to live on. She said she may not have “courage” to carry through that thought.

Yes, it would be beneficial to have certain services and supports for seniors. It also works both ways where also the elderly have to be willing accept some help also.

We ourselves have to acknowledge that we will become less able physically to do all the things we love to do now ..which also includes driving, living out in the suburbs in more isolated distances from people. It makes me wince when people retire and choose to live in a more rural setting or a 2-3 level home. Or they are driving well into their 80’s. Seriously???

But it also is frustrating when we talk about improving communities for walkability, safer pedestrian access for children, seniors and disabled, that means also slowing down traffic and here, there’s a lot of resistors to the thought of slowing down their car driving to 10 km. slower than now. It has been proven already in Calgary within the last 5 months, the level of resistance to have slower traffic speeds in certain residential streets.

So mobility for seniors is directly tied to several bigger matters that make it possible for them to move around independently longer, remain engaged with their community, etc.

I personally think it’s overall healthier for seniors to be part of multi-generational communities instead of only retirement communities where frankly your friends/pals are helping each other but they too are becoming less abled and die. This is why I am a strong proponent for designing communities that are close to core services, public transit …within 15-20 min. walk so that where we choose to live, makes it easier for us to remain a bit longer in our homes.

You are so right-on about this, Diana. I had two older in-laws from my first marriage living in a seniors complex across the street and down the road from our house because they needed the medical care the staff provided. We’d go visit, daily, with our daughter Elisabeth, who was 7, 8, 9 years old at the time. The eyes of all of the seniors would light up when we’d arrive and stay brighter the whole time we were there, and my darling daughter would be sure to spread her attention out to as many seniors as possible, not just her grandmother or cousin Stanley as we’d stay through dinner time or crafts time or social meeting time in the big rooms. It was obvious to me it was better when more generations were together than when the seniors were left to themselves.

And, yes, the big bump of us born in our years is getting there sooner than we’d like to admit.

I couldn’t agree more, Diana. The world is heading toward a majority of seniors populating it, but most countries are way behind figuring out how to sustain them, especially if they have major health issues.

Seniors have so much to offer. I can listen to my neighbour talking about the old days for hours on end. I have often told him he’s got a book in him, or that someone should record a series of interviews with him, not only for educational interest but for the old fashioned art of storytelling and humour. 🙂

I so often wish I was closer in distance to my parents so I could casually see them instead of it always being a “visit” where I have to spend the night, etc. The US has much to learn in how the elderly are treated and featured in media.

Great post, Diana, highly topical! I just don’t know what the answer is and quite truthfully I don’t know how I exactly feel about it either. What a boring response, but I’m going to have to sit with this for a bit.
~ Andrea ❤

So, Matt and I sat and discussed our thoughts on this on Saturday morning over coffee, and it was an interesting convo.
We were talking about the idea of capitalism and entitlement and came no closer to a solution or even clarifying our thoughts really. But we thought it was interesting to think about how capitalism creates a direct hierarchy of those who are most needed. You make money, you contribute, you’re needed. You then support your children, or the older generation in your family who may need assistance.
In a world based on capitalism and a “money talks” mentality, we seem to have completely lost touch with what people can offer our societies outside of money, the priceless nature of wisdom and experience for instance.
But in a world where we’re all so wrapped up in our bank accounts, it seems that we’re forgetting to genuinely connect with not only our elderly population but with mostly everyone. We want quick fixes for everything, and a nursing home seems to be one of those quick fixes that appears to work, but isn’t really working.
If we took more time to connect with others instead of focusing on “out of sight out of mind”, we’d all be a lot richer for it in more ways than just financially.
Random rant, but it’s where this topic took us! 😀
~ Andrea ❤

Love, love this post! I adore our senior population. They have so much to offer those that are younger. This is something we really need to work on as a society. In those cultures that treat their seniors with respect and love are doing it right and we all could learn something from them. I love the idea of a community caring for their seniors as a collective. In this case everyone would be enriched. My grandmother volunteers in a nursing home (and she is 84 herself). She says she loves them as much as they love her. Sadly she sees many that are left there by their families without a second thought. Personally I enjoy every visit I have with my grandmother. She is such an inspiration and full of priceless knowledge. I only wish more people realized how important our aging population truly is and what we could learn from them.

I appreciate Ward Smythe’s comments. My parents are 84. My mom has very little sight and dad, who has memory issues, does the driving. They have mentioned assisted living and cooking/medication is an issue for me with them. I and my family check in with them with visits during the week, and I attend all doctor’s appointments. They don’t want to feel dependent, so the assisted living program will give them the opportunity to continue to be on their own, yet allowing for medical help as needed. We will still be able to have family time together.

I would love to get involved in this discussion, having reached the age of decision what our future is to hold for us. However our past includes a political happening that had our financial futures dashed by a country that decided to hell with 200 000 of its subjects and tossed us to the wolves….This made it impossible for certain generations to retire as guarantee s given by other governing countries were never kept…. consequently these generations had to be supported by their children who have found it impossible to put away for themselves… so what happens in some cases, is families could have 3 to 4 generations under one roof, but not in the most comfortable conditions… others by need have to almost abandon family life to a homeless situation, brought on by governments not keeping their promises… example… my parents who lived in Rhodesia when Britian forced the “one man one vote” government, guaranteed the older generations pensions …. did they keep their word ? No… I had to support my parents and still do even though I’ve reached a pensionable age…. will I be able to retire ? No… who will support me… I have to support myself which will require working till I die… I’m fortunate to own a small business that keeps me going… but there are many who don’t who have no recourse to anything excapt a life of poverty brought on by politics…. so before I get too bitter and twisted I want to say to those rhat live in countries with old age care facilities…. be thankful you have a government that keeps its word, and thinks of them…

I was only talking to mum the other day about something we saw on telly about senior citizens and mum said to me when I am old I hope I can still live in my own home and take care of your father but at times I wonder if I would have the patience to care for him, now this may not sound odd except that mum is 74 turning 75 in January and in the eyes of many people she is already old……………..not me…………I don’t think of my parents as old and dad is only 72 today so younger than mum but she feels that it will be her who has to look after him when they are old…………

I love the title of this post Diana .. As well as the content 🙂
It isn’t about “them”, it’s about us.
As most of us will be elderly, its up to us to make choices about what we want and will need towards to the end of our lives. If we have children we need to talk with them about options.
We can make a difference by facing our own reality.
Val x

My children were privileged to grow up in a four generation home. In that situation they learned to love and appreciate the older ones in our family. Everybody learning and being tough by the others. I enjoyed this article very much.

These are excellent points.
It’s important to notice one other aspect. In the US, most multigenerational families are recent immigrants. This came out in the latest census. As each wave of new Americans has kids, those later generations choose more personal and individual space. The more recent exception has been with the housing bubble bursting, where many young families can’t afford their own housing so get together with others.
Who knows how immigration policies or economics will change? People change slowly, though, and autonomy & independence reigns supreme in the States.
Also, sadly, with longer lives and lower birth rates in Japan, many elder Japanese are living and dying alone. Rest homes are not as prevalent and many Japanese are embarrassed to even talk about the situation.

There are statistics to show that after the elderly enter high care, it’s usually only 3mths later that they pass on. Of course there are cases where high care is needed, but in general we have lost our connection to extended family and how that connection for them keeps them young at heart and gives them a purpose to live longer. Thanks Diana for a great discussion.
Karen

We will be Diana, and because we were used to people dying younger it seems harder when we live longer…. I think we should live our lives to the full whatever age we are. Also being prepared to grow old though. There is nothing wrong being old and having fun…. that is my intention! 🙂

You’ve got it right Diana,
The Japanese honor family and therefore honor their elderly. Many young people lose the advantage of gaining wisdom and life experience from the parents of their parents. They are denied a richness of life that only can be provided by the eldery in a healthy loving family environment.Furthermore, when families hold together so to do neighborhoods and the advantages that flow from them.

Modern society has done much to break down and marginalize the family unit in favor of some ideology that happens to be all the rage of the moment. And now we see the negative harvest of those seeds sown. Much of which you most ably addressed in your post. The lid has been taken off Pandora’s box by those misguided who thought they knew best, and now that it can’t be replaced the ills released are further exacerbated with fixes that are no more than fingers in the dike.
-Alan

When I was very young, our (down the road) neighbours were from Holland; having come here right after the War, and their Oma lived with them: doing all kinds of things, like knitting and taking care of the little kids… She didn’t speak English, and I didn’t speak Dutch, but somehow I was kind-of rolled into their family goings-on as well and it was AWESOME. To this day, I give credit for being able to better understand the speech of persons from other cultures to conversations held with “my” Dutch-speaking Oma.
Grandparents belong at home. They have invaluable knowledge of previous generations to pass along to us.
Thanks for another really important post, Diana!: )

Great post Diana I believe as I head towards my senior years that it is a better community all round when we involve everyone. I love the wisdom, experience and stories that the elderly people I know have to share. Why is it the western countries like ours that we put everybody away in care. I love the idea of grandparents living nearby or living with a family. I drive to my mums every weekend so that my children can spend some time with my mother and wish I had the space to welcome her into my home. More than ever the world needs a balance.

All excellent points! I will say that, once it became clear they could no longer really fend for themselves — neither could drive anymore, for example — my mom and dad decided themselves to move to a Senior Living facility. My mom could no longer manage my dad’s growing Alzheimer’s, and both needed help to accomplish some tasks. As it happened, that facility was a good one, and mom especially came to really enjoy interacting with others and no longer having to cook or clean.

But there is a very good reason we tend to equate wisdom with age. Experience is the greatest teacher life offers!